Science & Technology Content

3D Genome Structure Guides Sperm Development

Andy Fell — March 03, 2025 - 11:22am

How 3D folding of DNA inside germ cells sets them on the path to become sperm.

Restoring Voices and Identity with Neuroengineering

Andy Fell — February 27, 2025 - 1:00pm

Lee Miller vividly recalls the day in 2021 when he met a woman who had lost the function of her vocal cords. In hoarse, whispering tones she explained how her voice had been instrumental to her vocation. Losing it, she said, undercut her life’s purpose. Her words were faint, but the lesson was powerful.

Fish Teeth Show How Ease of Innovation Enables Rapid Evolution

Andy Fell — February 26, 2025 - 8:00am

It’s not what you do, it’s how readily you do it. Rapid evolutionary change might have more to do with how easily a key innovation can be gained or lost rather than with the innovation itself, according to new work by biologists at the University of California, Davis, who studied how teeth in certain fishes evolved in response to food sources and habitats.

Their work was published Feb. 26 in Nature.

Energy and Transportation Experts

Katherine E Kerlin — February 07, 2025 - 2:46pm

The following sources from the University of California, Davis, are available to talk with media about climate change impacts and solutions related to energy and transportation.

Find more energy and transportation experts and learn about their research at the �ٺ��Ƶ Institute of Transportation Studies and Energy and Efficiency Institute websites.

LA Wildfires Air Quality Research Roundup

Katherine E Kerlin — February 07, 2025 - 10:49am

How �ٺ��Ƶ air quality scientists are working to understand the impacts of the Los Angeles wildfires. A research roundup.

Tony Tyson: Sifting Through the Cosmic Noise

Andy Fell — February 07, 2025 - 9:51am

In a dark, light-tight room on the fifth floor of the �ٺ��Ƶ Physics Building, researchers recreate the night sky. But the simulated sky isn’t projected onto a wall or ceiling. Instead, a large, tube-like device, housed in a transparent cage, uses a reticle mask, also known as a photomask, to achieve the simulation. Wires crisscross the instrument — known as an optical simulator — and liquid nitrogen cools it when it’s in use.

�ٺ��Ƶ Researchers Achieve Total Synthesis of Ibogaine

Andy Fell — February 06, 2025 - 10:45am

Ibogaine — a psychoactive plant derivative — has attracted attention for its anti-addictive and anti-depressant properties. But ibogaine is a finite resource, extracted from plants native to Africa like the iboga shrub (Tabernanthe iboga) and the small-fruited voacanga tree (Voacanga africana). Further, its use can lead to irregular heartbeats, introducing safety risks and an overall need to better understand how its molecular structure leads to its biological effects.

Outside-In Signaling Shows a Route Into Cancer Cells

Andy Fell — February 04, 2025 - 9:08am

A new study shows how an anticancer drug triggers an “outside in” signal that gets it sucked into a cancer cell. The work, published Jan. 29 in Nature Communications, reveals a new signaling mechanism that could be exploited for delivering other drugs.

Many malignant cancers overexpress a protein called P-cadherin, which is embedded in the cell membrane. Because cancer cells have a lot of P-cadherin sticking out of their surface, the protein has been targeted for drug development.

New Medical Technology Emerges From Quarter at Aggie Square Program

Cody Kitaura — February 04, 2025 - 8:00am

The Quarter at Aggie Square Biomedical Engineering cohort wrapped up their 10-week experience on Dec. 6 with a presentation of three medical prototypes for growth-accommodating heart valves, noninvasive glucose monitors and stroke-detection devices. The students chose the concepts to solve complex health challenges they encountered.

Wrong Place, Wrong Time: Why Zika Virus Hijacks a Protein Needed for Brain Growth

Andy Fell — January 13, 2025 - 11:13am

The mosquito-borne Zika virus is known for causing microcephaly, a birth defect in which abnormal brain development results in a smaller-than-expected head. A new study published Jan. 13 in mBio shows that the Zika virus hijacks a host protein called ANKLE2, which happens to be important for brain development, to assist its own reproduction. Because Zika, unlike most related viruses, can cross the placenta, this can have disastrous consequences in pregnancy.